GOP, Kavanaugh accuser in standoff over her Senate testimony

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., with Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, left, joined by former students from Holton Arms School, speaks to reporters in support of professor Christine Blasey Ford, who is accusing Supreme Court... . Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, walks through a tunnel towards the Dirksen Senate Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept.

O’Rourke, Cruz spar in contentious debate

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and his Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, were asked Friday night -- in what moderators intended to be a polite end to their first debate -- to say something nice about each other. O'Rourke began by praising Cruz's work ethic and his family's sacrifice.

Cruz, O’Rourke trade attacks during testy 1st Texas debate

Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O'Rourke repeatedly traded barbs during a testy first debate Friday night, underscoring how a Texas Senate race that long looked like a cakewalk for the conservative incumbent now appears to be anything but one. Cruz went on the attack moments after stepping on the stage, charging that his opponent suggested that police officers embodied "modern-day Jim Crow" laws in response to a question about a Dallas policewoman who shot and killed her unarmed, black neighbor after saying she mistakenly entered his apartment, thinking it was her own.

Grassley extends deadline, but Kavanaugh accuser’s testimony still a question

And whether Christine Blasey Ford will tell her story to the Senate Judiciary Committee is still up in the air. As senators march closer to a scheduled vote Monday on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Ford and her attorneys are still negotiating whether she will appear before the panel to testify about the alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh.

Collins: I Want to Hear Ford Testify Before Deciding on Kavanaugh

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire-Susan Collins's message to President Donald Trump appears to be keep your mouth shut and your Twitter feed silent when it comes to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who's accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. And the Republican senator from Maine, speaking Friday evening at an event at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, said she believes that her GOP colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee should accommodate Ford's request to testify later next week, rather than on Monday as initially requested.

The Latest: Trump takes stage at Missouri campaign rally

The president is in Missouri to campaign for state attorney general Josh Hawley, who is challenging incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. Trump has been campaigning aggressively to help the Senate expand its narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Mass. lawmakers, advocates blast Trump’s criticism of Ford

Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation and victim advocates Friday blasted President Trump for suggesting the woman accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers would've contacted police at the time if it was "as bad as she says." "Sexual assault is severely under-reported because of the stigma and harassment that so often follows after survivors speak out," said US Representative Katherine Clark, a Melrose Democrat and former prosecutor, in a statement.

Obama turns focus on Pennsylvania, hopes to boost Democrats

The former president campaigned in Philadelphia with two leading Democrats running for re-election, Gov. Tom Wolf and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. At a campaign rally at the Dell Music Center in Philadelphia, Obama implored Pennsylvanians to vote in November because the election was more consequential than any he could remember.

Ted Cruz, Beto O’Rourke meet Friday evening for first of three debates

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke will have their first meeting on the debate stage Friday evening in Dallas. The debate begins at 6 p.m. at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is the first of three hour-long debates between the two Texas candidates.

Beto O’Rourke, Closing in on Ted Cruz, Faces Off With Him in First Texas Debate

Sen. Ted Cruz faced off against Rep. Beto O'Rourke , the El Paso Democrat running a spirited campaign against him, in their first of three debates on Friday. The moment arrived as recent polls have shown a too-close-for-comfort contest and Republicans in Washington D.C. have been concerned that O'Rourke's massive fundraising prowess and personal appeal could lead to an upset.

US agency endorses plan to block new mining near Yellowstone

U.S. officials recommended approval on Friday of a plan to block new mining claims for 20 years on the forested public lands that make up Yellowstone National Park's mountainous northern boundary. Regional Forester Leanne Marten submitted a letter to the Bureau of Land Management endorsing the plan to withdraw 30,000 acres in Montana's Paradise Valley and the Gardiner Basin from new claims for gold, silver, platinum and other minerals, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Marna Daley said.

Obama turns focus on Pennsylvania, hopes to boost Democrats Source: AP

Barack Obama was turning his political attention Friday to a state that Donald Trump won as the former president prepared to campaign Friday in Philadelphia with two leading Pennsylvania Democrats running for re-election, Gov. Tom Wolf and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. In the Nov. 6 contests, Democrats are trying to oust Republicans in four U.S. House districts and more than a dozen state legislative seats in the Philadelphia area alone.

Sen. Whitehouse: Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Will Not End Investigations

Putting Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court will not end the investigation into Christine Braley Ford's accusations, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said on Thursday. Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said when Democrats retake the House and Senate, he's "confident" they will investigate not only Ford's claims -- but "why the FBI stood down its background investigation" when Ford dropped her bombshell.